Panning and zooming functions are usually provided in a conventional imaging system in order to capture a desired region of interest. Panning of the imaging system may involve moving the imaging system on an XY-plane in order to capture different parts of the desired region of interest. On the other hand, zooming of the imaging system may involve adjusting the internal mechanical assembly of the imaging system to vary a distance between the imaging system and the region of interest and/or the overall focal length of the imaging system, to thereby enlarge an image of the region of interest.
Invariably, the panning and zooming functions of the conventional imaging system require physical movement of either the whole or a part of the imaging system, or an object being inspected. However, the time required to move the whole of the imaging system also includes time for stabilising the imaging system or object at a resting positing, which may require tens of milliseconds, perhaps more. This might undesirably affect the overall throughput capacity among high-speed applications. Further, adjustment of the internal mechanical assembly of the imaging system may cause a shift of the optical centre of the imaging system, such that an allowable threshold—especially among high-accuracy applications—may be exceeded. In addition, the movement of the imaging system may also render the precise control of the imaging system's zooming capability hard to achieve among applications that require machine portability.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to seek to provide an apparatus that addresses, or at least ameliorates, some of the problems encountered by the conventional imaging system, and to provide the general public with a useful choice.